William B. Wilkens

Biography

William B. Wilkens was born in New York City, and graduated from Columbia University, N.Y., where he earned an M.S. in electrical engineering. He started his career at Haseltine Corp., Long Island, N.Y., where he made a major contribution to the development of television.

He helped establish NorthEast Electronics in Concord, N.H., and in 1968 founded Wilcom Productions in Laconia, N.H., a company developing testing equipment for the telephone industry worldwide. He received numerous honors both nationally and internationally for his pioneering work in telecommunications.

A longtime member of the IEEE, Wilkens was awarded the Centennial Medal at the 100th anniversary celebration of the IEEE in Amsterdam in 1984. He served in the IEEE Communications Society Standards Committee and as the committee director for several years.

Wilkens died on May 4th, 1997.